today. from his million dollar line of credit atti tiffany's. >> today, i'm suspending the campaign, but that does not mean suspending citizenship. >> that's a relief, you're right not to suspend your citizenship. rhetoric set you skyrocketing in the gop primary. >> many of the schools should get rid of the unionized janitor, have one master janitor, and pay the schools to take care of the school. >> really poor children in really poor neighbors have no

habits of working. >> president obama is the best food stamp president in american history. >> i'm not going to compete with president obama singing because i'm not running for entertainer and chief. >> entertainer and chief? poor kids have no habits of working. i don't remember that language when we toured on edge in 2009, but we were doing it for the kids. this election you were doing it for the gop votes, and there is nothing primary voters love more than when you play to the crowd. >> she said you asked her, sir, to enter into an open marriage, would you like to take some time to respond to that. >> no, but i will. >> i'm appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that. >> that applause only lasted so long.

soon, newt reclaimed his spot at the back of the pack. >> we will have the first permanent base on the moon, and it will be american. >> my wife pointed out to me approximately 219 times, give or take three, that the moon colony was probably not my most clever comment in this campaign, but the underlying point is real. newt sky walker would not back down from a colony on the moon. >> i have a lifelong love for zoos and have been to about 100 in my life. i thought i would either study dinosaurs, or work at a zoo.

>> that's a man that loves animals, but he has a tough history with penguins. >> i got bit by a penguin. >> nothing has been as hilarious as this zinger from newt today. >> as for the presidency, i'm asked, sometimes, is mitt romney conservative enough, and my answer is simple. compared to barack obama? this is not a choice between mitt romney and ronald reagan. this is a choice between mitt romney and the most radical leftist president in american history. >> wow, that was a ringing endorsement. willard may not be smiling, but newt, you left the rest of us laughing. joining me now, ed rendell, now an msnbc political analyst, and

mark mckennan. thank you for being here tonight. >> governor rendell, let me start with you, you have dealt with a lot of endorsements in your career, what do you make of this nonendorsement today. >> in some ways i think it's the right thing to do. if he sang the praises of mitt romney, saying what a great guy he was, it would ring hollow. i think his message is, look,ly not be insincere about mitt romney. i don't the he was the greatest candidate to come down the road, but one you compare the two, romney is the more viable candidate. when you put it that way it has a higher level of credibility. the one thing i want to say if i might, what disturbed me most, is when he described barack

obama as the food stamp president. implying that food stamps was something that urban african-american population predominates. as you know, white recipients are more than 70% of the food stamp population. the economy is where it is because of the greedy people in wall street drove it there. newt gingrich should stop this business about food stamp president. >> and there are a lot of children on food stamps and more people on food stamps under george bush than barack obama. let me go back to the original point, mark, when you talk about when he said that mr. gingrich should just embrace mr. romney, eventually he will have to get there. when he does, he will have a problem cause of all of the things he said through the primary.

let me remind you and our viewers about what he will have to overcome before he does that embrace out of his own mouth. >> the romney machine can drive downturnout, run over opponents with negative adds, it doesn't seem capable of inspiring positive turnout, and the result is worrisome if you're thinking about the fall campaign. >> is he still the most anti-immigrant candidate? >> i think of the four of us, yes. >> are you calling mitt romney a liar? >> yes. >> this is an ad released by the obama campaign. so clearly the obama campaign is going to use this, and clearly as newt tries to do his moonwalk toward embracing romney, he will be facing the fact that the public and the voter wills be reminded by his own words and

tape of what he said about willard mitt romney. >> that's right, and team obama will be reminding american voters all along the way about all of the things that mitt romney's primary opponents said about him. i agree with the governor. he did the right thing today by not giving him too close of a hug and maintaining some credibility. but it surprises me how quickly the breach heals, and how they come together for the general election, so the reality is that gingrich served a good purpose which was make romney look good. the thing i found unfortunate is that he was supposed to be the candidate of big ideas, and he was a lazy candidate and you felt he was just going along to keep newt inc. going. so what i think was unfortunate

is we didn't see a real comprehensive program from newt gingrich. maybe he can pass along some thoughts to romney in the summer in terms of something more muscular. >> maybe, we'll see, but talking about mr. romney, today he vowed to do the opposite of what president has done to help the economy, listen. >> what i would do -- people ask me what would you do to get the economy going. >> look at what the president has done, and do the opposite. >> governor, do the opposite? the president reduced months every month since president. he has been able to bring back detroit when rol any was saying let it go bankrupt. do the opposite? the opposite would bring us back toward a recession? >> yeah, and the problem, everyone keeps saying romney's strong suit is strength on the

economy. what have we heard about his economic plans? cut taxes? eliminate burdensome regulations. now, as i recall, that's what president bush tried, and we had following of the five years, five of the worst seven years of job creation in the last six decades. there is nothing romney is talking about that will work. doing the opposite, president has invested in our infrastructure and wanted to invest more in it. romney wants to do the opposite of that? doesn't make any sense at all. >> mark, if you were advising romney, look at the obama record, 25 straight months of private sector job growth, 4.2 1 million jobs added. auto industry back from the brink, stock market up 63%. how do you advice willard to run

against that as the one with the better economic plans and policies. >> the key is not just to see the opposite. there is still a lot of anxiety among american voters and small business owners. they don't have a high degree of confidence. when things start picking up we get bad economic news. we can engage this debate, but romney needs to engage it and talk about what the opposite means. that will be talking about his view and version of the stimulus and why it did or didn't work, and defend will defend on that, and romney will have to say what he did instead of government creating jobs, programs he believes would create more private sector jobs that would be more permanent through tax cuts and whatever it might be. that would have to be clearly

articulat articulated. if the economy is the issue, romney will have to make clear what that plan will be. >> let me ask you this, governor, richard gernell, a romney foreign policy advisor who is openly gay, stepped down saying his role was greatly diminished by the hyper-partisan discussion of personal issues. does this further hurt romney and the republicans with independent voters who have views that vary, but who are not into these personal views as much as how we're going to deal with broad independent policy matters that will help the country? >> sure it does. it's a very difficult challenge for the republican party and governor romney. on the one hand he has to curve all of this hate out there

against gay americans. it's not just gay americans, but it's independent voter who is look at that and their not gay, but they don't want a devicive america. he was saying romney was friendly to gays and was drivend out of the campaign on personal issues. mark, before we go, you're writing about the gop attacks on obama and bin laden's death. >> we launched the bush reelection campaign, and we very subtlely mentioned 9/11. there was very subtle images in

an add, and democrats went bananas. it's just as absurd for republicans today to be suggesting the same thing about barack obama, talking about the death of osama bin laden. it's part of our history, it's arguably his most significant foreign policy achievement, something all americans were hoping for and rooting for when it happened. so it is silly to think that obama would run a reelection campaign without talking about that significant achievement. so, my -- and by the way in tour, we were thrilled when that happened because it brought more sengs to the issue we wanted to talk about. so if i was obama i would be happy that romney brought more attention to that issue.

>> thank you both for your time tonight. >> thanks. >> ahead, the republicans including willard have a problem with women. today in virginia, we saw what he plans to do about it. plus, blocking the vote, this 93-year-old woman marched with dr. king for voting rights, but new voting laws have taken away her vote. it's outrageous. [ male announcer ] the inspiring story of how a shipping giant can befriend a forest may seem like the stuff of fairy tales. but if you take away the faces on the trees... take away the pixie dust. take away the singing animals, and the storybook narrator... [ man ] you're left with more electric trucks. more recycled shipping materials... and a growing number of lower emissions planes... which still makes for a pretty enchanted tale. ♪ la la la [ man ] whoops, forgot one... [ male announcer ] sustainable solutions.

fedex. solutions that matter. i'm here to unleash my inner cowboy. instead i got heartburn. [ horse neighs ] hold up partner. prilosec isn't for fast relief. try alka-seltzer. it kills heartburn fast. yeehaw! that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8.

one quick clarification, i said in the last segment that there were more people on food stamps under george bush than barack obama. what i should say to be clear, is more were added under george bush having to get food stamps

than have added under president.

welcome back to "politicsnation," willard romney was in the crucial swing state of virginia today. speaking at a signage company. it was the first time he has been there as the presumptive nominee. there's something very off in this kodak moment. look at that, everyone on stake with romney just happens to be a woman. what a coincidence, and he

happens to be at a female run company in virginia, and ann romney just happened to show up today. >> we appreciate all these women being here. it is a great country and it's exciting to see what women can do. >> so willard's in the state that pushed an extreme invasive ultrasound bill, and suddenly all of these women love him. we all know he is trailing obama on thewom women's vote. months ago, protesters turned out in force against a ultrasound bill. tomorrow, the same governor will be stumping with willard, some call it a veep tryout.

romney is trailing balm by eight points. willard needs all the help he can get in the women's department. that's why you see this staged picture. bob mcdonald won't do him any good. joining me now is cynthia tucker, and sharnel haring. thank you both for being here tonight. >> thank you. >> what do you make of this staged production by mr. romney today. >> it's exactly what you said, it's staged and aa -- this is a

woman owned company and they are thriving. it's ie wrongic and it makes the point that president obama has done well by this nation and especially virginia. we have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, and the reason why is the president's economic policies. we benefitted from it and his economic stimulus. that's why virginia is in the place that it's in. >> now cynthia, he is doing really bad withwomen voters. let me show some of his extreme views on women, had being willard romney high pressure he supported defunding planned parenthood. he supported the blunt amendment, he supported radical personhood laws. he would not say if he would have signed a lily ledbetter act. these are extreme positions, wouldn't you say? >> yes, and he has also thrown a

way a couple moments when he could have said something in passing that might have improved his standing with women. when rush limbaugh attacked a woman for her view on contraception, instead of slamming rush limbaugh, he says that's something i would not have said. all of these things make mitt romney quite unattractive, particularly with unfairied women. he does okay with women who are married, they tend to be more conservative. but he doesn't do nearly as well with unmarried women who we can separate into two groups. some of them are younger feminist, their career women and looking toward a more progressive party headed by a more progressive person like president obama. some of those women are

suffering economically, and they understand they need a strong social welfare net. they need medicaid, unemployment benefits, the affordable care act. certainly mitt romney doesn't support the affordable care act, and he has spoken about cutting the social safety net. it's no wonder he is in trouble with women. >> let me ask you, in your state, governor mcdonald has been mentioned by some by being in the sweep is a stakes for being a vice presidential nominee, but he was the one behind this invasive ultrasound bill, but he tried to walk it back. let me play for you when he tried to walk back on the

intrusive ultrasound bill. >> some say you got cold feet, you changed your position. >> the bill we amended this year was my original bill 12 years ago to put a big consent bill in for abortion. all i did was say we ought to join 23 other states that have an ultrasound law so that the woman getting all of the medical and clinical information she needs. >> is that true? >> i don't know his record. i do know that he put in that bill in the past, but what i find interesting, once during 23 other states, and violating a woman's right to privacy. that's what is the most astounding. the specific bill, he did amendment the bill, and it was an invasive procedure, but what he is saying is what he filed 12

years ago was a mandated intervaginal ultrasound. to suggest that women are not getting information from their doctors, he is saying he believes government should be big enough to go in a doctor's office and consult with the woman, patient, and use the doctor as a tool of the state. very inappropriate and very wrong for women. >> thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> still ahead, president balm's top political strategist, david axelrod will be here live.sy l e? but that label can lead to prejudice and discrimination, and we don't want to go there. so let's try to see people for who they really are. you can help create a more united states. the more you know.

the teacher that comes to mind for me is my high school math teacher, dr. gilmore. i mean he could teach. he was there for us, even if we needed him in college. you could call him, you had his phone number. he was just focused on making sure we were gonna be successful. he would never give up on any of us.

open up. we have come for the foul, unholy beast. the one with the red markings. the miracle whip? stand aside that we may burn it. [ indistinct shouting ] have you ever tried it? it's actually quite sweet... and tangy. ♪ i like sweet things. [ man ] shut up, henry. ♪

ok! who ? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. oú [ kate ] many women may not be properly absorbing

the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. ♪ home of the brave. ♪ it's where fear goes unwelcomed... ♪ and certain men... find a way to rise above.

this is the land of giants. ♪ guts. glory. ram.

uh, trouble with a car insurance claim. ah, claim trouble. [ dennis ] you should just switch to allstate, and get their new claim satisfaction guarantee. hey, he's right man. [ dennis ] only allstate puts their money where their mouth is. yup. [ dennis ] claim service so good, it's guaranteed. [ foreman ] so i can always count on them.

unlike randy over there. that's one dumb dude. ♪ the new claim satisfaction guarantee. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. the new claim satisfaction guarantee. kiwi. soy milk. impulse buy. gift horse. king crab. rhubarb pie. lettuce shower. made by bees. toucan sam. that's not cheese. grass fed. curry. gingersnaps. soup can tower. 5% cash back. right now, get 5% cash back at grocery stores. it pays to discover. welcome back to "politicsnation," president obama landed back in washington this morning fresh off his surprise visit to afghanistan where he addressed the nation to mark exactly one year since the death of osama bin laden. and for the first time wear

hearing from the president himself about what happened in that raid. it was on the situation room's brian williams. >> this picture was talken right as the helicopter was having problems. that's what it feels like, because i remember hillary putting her hanover her mouth at that point. there is silence at this point in the room. >> when you look at it, what does it conjure up inside you. >> that's usually the way i look when hi husband drags me to an action movie. it conjures up all of the emotions running through many and every other person in that small group. it was just an extraordinary experience, and a great privilege to be part of. >> the president also talked about seeing a photograph of bin laden's body for the first time. >> you have a picture of a dead

body, and there is, you know, i think regardless of who it is, you always have to be sober about death. but understanding the satisfaction for the american people. what it would mean for 9/11 families. what it would mean for children of the folks that died in the twin towers that never got to know their parents. i think there was a deep seeded satisfaction for the country at that moment. >> and then you place a call to president george w. bush 43, and what was that like? >> i think it was an important symbol of who we are as a people. we get into these partisan fights, administrations come and go, but there's a certain

continuity about who we are, what we care about, and what our values are. for he to call my predecessor and say a lot of the work you did under your administration was continued in my administration, and there is that constant threat, i think it was symbolic of how our government should work. >> it was a nonpartisan issue, but mitt romney has jumped all over the president this week accusing him of turning bin laden's death into, you guessed it, a partisan issue. >> the idea to politicize this, and say president would have done it one way, mitt romney another, is disappointing. let's not make the capture or

killing of bin laden a politically charged event. >> willard doesn't want the president to politicize the killing of bin laden, but yesterday he was at a fire house in hour man hatten where 11 firefighters lost their life in 9/11. willard's blatantly politicizing november 11th, listen to him. >> i think politicizing it and drawing a distinction was not appropriate. >> joining me now is david axelrod, chief strategist for the obama campaign. thanks for being here tonight. >> good to be here.

>> you heard mitt romney criticize obama what do you think? >> this was important, it was an anniversary of it, and it was significant. romney's comments were based on his statement, saying he would not go into pack tan. obviously osama bin laden was the number one target. and so to raise that, and you know, understand reverend that throughout this campaign, governor romney has been savaging the president. generally base pd on erroneous pronouncements on foreign policy. and so, you know, he gets uncomfortable when you raise past statements, but that's part of the campaign. at least the ones we raised are based in fact, and that's what he said, and i presume he meant

it when he said it. the other thing he said it anyone would have done what the president did. i think back to what secretary gates said in an interview, he said he had been in washington for three decades, and this was among the gutsyist call he had every seen a president make. let's acknowledge what it was. . the facts are the facts. >> are they accusing the president of politicizing while he stands with former mayor giuliani at a sight where a lot of our mourn for those lost at 9/11. >> i think all americans should remember what we went through and particularly what victims of 9/11 went through and their

families and the brave firefighters involved. so i don't be grudge him that, but you know, don't use it as a platform to accuse others of being political. >> now, in your opinion, do you think mitt romney is ready to be commander and chief? >> it's hard to judge based on the pronouncements he made. just take afganistan, you know, he said that he, as president, would not negotiate with the taliban. almost everybody involved in the situation have suggested that the answer is for there to be negotiations between the parties to get a basis that would allow afganistan to move forward. so obviously that has to be part of the mix. that was worrisome. he has been back and forth on if

we should be operating on a time table, but he seemed to say we should be there indefinitely. we have to look at our national security needs and at the same time, we have to look after our own domestic needs as a country. the country we need to build is our own, and we can't stay in the other countries indefinitely. we went to afganistan for a reason, to go after those who attacked us, to dismantle al-qaeda. we had tremendous success including the death of bin laden. now it's time to responsiblely transfer security to the people of afghanistan. that's what president has done. that was the agreement he signed yesterday in afghanistan. i think that is what american

people want and what's in their best interest. >> let me get a little political with you. the campaign quicks off, and you have a new slogan for the campaign, forward, it was in a campaign that highlights what it is about, let me let people see this. >> on the day barack obama took office, america had lost 4.4 million jobs. an economic disaster, the worst in a generation. some said america's best days were behind us. like america, he dug deep, fought back, and every lost faith in our ability to meet the challenge. instead of working together to lift america up, republicans were waging a campaign to tear the president down. >> vote no. vote know. >> republicans are getting a rap as the party of no.

>> their forward thinking, republican pun -- are attacking obama for using the word forward as his slow gag. they say it has rich association with european marxism. and they say forward was a marching song for hitler's youth. did i miss something? >> that's ridiculous. we're talking about moving forward with the economy, building an economy, people who work hard can get ahead, and everybody gets a fair shake and a fair shot.

that's what forward means. and there is another tide to this. when you look at what governor romney is proposing, it's very much going back ward, tax cuts for the wealth, budget busting tax cuts. today the boston globe did an excellent peace saying he wants to burning down the financial reforms. and he offers nothing to replace it which may be the reason why the five biggest banks have giving them more money than all of the other candidates combined. it's not good america to go back to the same policies that created the disaster in the first place. that's the choice people are facing. do we want to go forward with a more hopeful future that holds out more possibility for hard working people across this country, or do we want to go back to the very same policies that a narrowing band of people do very well.

and everybody else runs faster to keep their heads above water. that's not a prescription for a better future, and we're looking forward to that debate. >> let me thank you for your time tonight. >> good to be with you. >> coming up, how a 93-year-old woman who marched with martin luther king jr. is now being denied the right to vote. it's outrageous and we have to stop it. i am going to become facebook friends with our babysitter. no. these work, right? no. all right. mom! look what i found in the shed! no! no! no! ♪ ew! were you guys just making out in here? what? no! is it okay if i quit my job and start a blog? no. really? cold cuts from a package? yes. [ male announcer ] in a world filled with "no," it's nice to finally say "yes." new oscar mayer selects deli meat.

the tastes you love and no artificial preservatives. it's yes food. coming up, blocking the

vote, this 93-year-old woman marched with dr. king for voting rights, now her vote has been taken away. it's outrageous, exclusive interview is next.

steve king can be added to the voices calling for fairness. king writes, "i don't want to apologize for being rich. i want you to acknowledge that in america, we should all have to pay our fair share. that's called stepping up and not whining about it. "for republicans asking those to pay their fair share, it's like a scary movie, a scene out of the shining. >> come on, the top 1% pay 38% of the taxes in america, how much more do you want them to

pay. >> his idea of fairness, at imposing it on ores. >> red rum. >> it's fine to talk about those things in quiet rooms. >> what is in room 1237? >> nothing. there ain't nothing. >> republican tax policy, be afraid, be very afraid. [ donovan ] i hit a wall. and i thought "i can't do this, it's just too hard."

then there was a moment. when i decided to find a way to keep going. go for olympic gold and go to college too. [ male announcer ] every day we help students earn their bachelor's or master's degree for tomorrow's careers. this is your moment. let nothing stand in your way. devry university, proud to support the education of our u.s. olympic team. how math and science kind of makes the world work. in high school, i had a physics teacher

by the name of mr. davies. he made physics more than theoretical, he made it real for me. we built a guitar, we did things with electronics and mother boards. that's where the interest in engineering came from. so now, as an engineer, i have a career that speaks to that passion. thank you, mr. davies.

>> we're back with the republican effort to suppress the vote in pennsylvania. they signed a strict voter id. joining me is a 93-year-old voter from philadelphia that marred with martin luther king jr., but cannot vote for the first time in 50 years because of the new voter id law, she is

the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed this week challenging that law. also with me the codirector of the advancement project with joined to file the lawsuit. thank you for being here tonight. >> thank you. tell me your story, vivian, how is this law keeping you from voting? >> because i don't have the id, state id, which i would have to get it. and i don't have a birth certificate. >> can you have been voting now for 50 years. the id you have used has been all right, but now the new id that is required, you can't make that qualification or reach that bar because you don't have a

birth certificate? >> that's right, that's correct. >> now you marched with martin luther king for the right to vote. did you ever think you would come 50 years later and be denied the right to vote? >> i never heard anything like this in my whole entire life. never expected it. >> it's not that you did not use id through the years, it's the new voter id requirement. we're not talking about people not identifying themselves, we're saying why is it important to have new id, you always qualified with your id, it's new laws giving you the problem. >> just the new laws, everything about this i will not be able to vote because i definitely do not have the qualifications that they want. and expect me to have. >> let me play for you your

governor in pennsylvania defending the voter id laws in pennsylvania, watch this. >> contrary to some claims, this bill does not interfere with anyone's legal right to vote. >> he says that it won't interfere with anyone's legal right to vote. here you are, 92, and it interferes with your vote, right? >> right. >> judith, when you look at the fact that out of 31 million votes cast, only 0.00004% have resulted in a claim of fraud. i mean, there is no reason at all to have changed the id laws, and make them more difficult to

deny people like mrs. applewright the right to vote. >> right, this is not about preventing fraud, it's about preventing voting. to change the rules in the middle of the game is not fair. to undermine or democracy by taking away the precious right to participate in our democracy is a shame. there's no evidence of impersonation of voters, and people like mrs. applewhite have voted and had a voice in our democracy, and then to be ripped off because some people want to stack the deck for partisan gain? this is a problem and that's why advancement project and the aclu filed a lawsuit because we want to stop these laws from spreading because everyone should have the right to vote. >> let me show you something, judith, and mrs. applewhite that governor corbin said in 2010

before when he was elected to governor. look at this. >> the governor said yesterday that bob brady should resign if he doesn't get 50% turnout. we want to make sure, keep that down. >> they actually said they're going to keep turnout down and make sure he could not get 50%. we're talking about people who clearly do not want to see voter turnout, and have come up with a law that is totally unnecessary, only 12 cases in pennsylvania out of 31 million votes cast, in many ways we feel it's because they want to keep turnout down. that's right, and we know this impacted african-americans, latinos, elderly voters and students. those are the people that turned out in record numbers in 2008. so we know that's what this is about. it's about cutting off

participation of those who turned out in record numbers in 2008. >> you marched and you voted, and you continue to be a model citizen, and now you're denied the right to vote. i think that this is clear that we need to stand up as americans and fight to protect those the right that gave us the right to vote in the first place. we're honor std thed that you c our show and make sure that the fight that you and dr. king and others have fought for have not turned around in this generation. >> am i allowed to say anything? >> yes, go ahead. >> i want to say what i think the reason that they're doing it. >> why? >> i think that the reason they won't decide is because there's so many of the black people that doesn't have id, and i think it's because they don't want

obama in there, so i think they're trying to do something to keep the black people from having the right to vote, because they know they don't have all of these papers and things they're supposed to have. and they're not going to get them. there's so many that i live in a building where it look like to me, i didn't even realize it, looked like most of the people in my building are senior citizens, but they don't have the proper thing to vote with. . there's going to be a whole lot of people not able to vote. >> we're going to keep on this, and i am glad you expressed how you feel. a lot of people feel that way. vivian applewhite, thank you for your time tonight, and good luck. we're going to keep on talking about the attempts to block the vote. thanks for watching, i'm al sharpton, "hardball" starts right now.